Mizu Obore Te
by Recalling
Summary: "Drowning in the Water": Chihiro has recently turned 20 years old, and her long-time boyfriend Arashi has proposed to her. Yet, in a quick incident, memories of her true love come rushing back as quickly as the waves that swallowed her. Can she reach him again, even after all of these years?
1. -An Unwanted Question-

**Chapter One  
**An Unwanted Question

"You really like the water, don't you?"

"It holds a lot of memories for me," she admitted with a sigh. Her toes dug into the sand as her hands clutched into fists, calmly watching the soft swoon of waves.

With a chuckle, he sat next to her and took her hand. "Wouldn't you rather go to an ocean, with a beach?" He asked innocently, attempting to make eye contact.

"No," she whispered without breaking her gaze on the river. "I don't really like the beach," she closed her eyes and laughed gently. "Besides, rivers are sweeter."

Not wanting to ask what she meant, he leaned over and caressed her cheek with his lips. She grinned, turning her head to meet them with her own pair.

"I love you, Chihiro," he murmured into her ear.

Her heart hesitated and her breath caught momentarily. "I love you, too, Arashi," she managed to mutter in response.

"Come here," he was quickly on his feet, pulling her up with both of his hands. She stood in front of him, hand in hand, a confused look upon her brow. He smiled and stole a kiss before setting down on one knee. Her heart pounded frustratingly in her chest as one of his hands swept into his pocket, pulling out a small blue-colored box, which he presented before her. "Chihiro…"

_No._

"Would you marry me?"

_No, no, no._

She searched his eyes for some sort of an answer, yet all she could see was a growing panic as her response continued to drag out. Then, in an instant, her face lit up in a joyous smile, and her body jerked forward, causing her to fall onto him in an embrace.

"Of course! Of course I'll marry you, Arashi!" She yelped into his shoulder as her grip on him tightened. She could feel a sense of relief wash over his body as she separated from him and plucked the silver ring from the box and shoved it onto her finger.

He said something that she didn't catch, as the shine of the ring blinded her ability to comprehend her surroundings. The ring wasn't resting gently upon her finger.

It'd fallen into the river, just as she had when she leapt for it.

_Chihiro!_

_Chihiro!_

A rush of water swept her further from the glisten of the small object, though she desperately reached for it. She could hardly hold her breath and consciousness slipped away as quickly as the ring did.

_I remember you falling into the river, and I remember your little pink shoe._

* * *

"Chihiro, wake up."

She forced her burning eyes open, only to meet the teary silver pair of her fiancée's eyes. She stared at him silently as his lips crept into a panicky smile.

"I-I thought you were gone…" his voice cracked into a sob, and she could feel her hand grasped between both of his. "The river was taking you, you were gone for sure," he muttered behind cries and choked on tears. "But one miraculous wave pushed you to shore."

"The ring?" She gasped for breath.

"That, too… It survived somehow," his smile strengthened. "It was marvelous, and I'm so glad you're safe."

Weakly, she lifted her left hand and saw the ring clutching to her finger like it belonged there. Somehow a sense of worry swept over her body as her eyes shifted back to her husband-to-be. She forced a smile as he leaned over and graced her lips with a simple kiss.

_Don't be afraid, I just wanna help you._

"Do you know about the Kohaku River?" She asked suddenly, breaking the wondrous atmosphere that'd developed.

"No, why are you asking?" His expression spoke of becoming discombobulated.

"I almost drowned in it when I was little," she grinned and watched the sky. Clouds formed flowery shapes around the shine of the sun.

"You're safe now," he muttered hesitantly. "Don't think about bad memories."

* * *

Sitting in the bed of her quaint bedroom, she turned the ring over and over on her finger. When he pushed open the door, her body jerked but she had to smile.

"Something wrong, Chihiro?" He asked and kissed her forehead once he reached her bedside. He brushed some of her hair from her face casually with his fingers, being careful with her after the previous incident.

"I can't," her voice quivered and immediately her hands covered her face. "I can't, I can't."

"What can't you do? You can do anything," he pulled her hands away and kissed her forehead again. "I believe in you."

"I can't marry you, Arashi," she wept, her tears drenching her skirt.

"Ah."

The last thing she could hear was the door close, and she could only feel the emptiness on her finger.


	2. -A Way Back-

**Chapter Two  
**A Way Back

"You're truly an idiot."

Her face immediately flushed with the embarrassment of the decision to tell her best friend what she'd done earlier that day.

"You almost drown after the proposal…" she spoke to herself and contemplated the situation. "Did you take that as a bad omen?"

"No," she murmured quietly under her breath, keeping her head down to avoid any eye contact.

"Then what? Speak to me, Chihiro," she frustratingly sighed.

_I knew you were good!_

"I guess I just freaked out," she grumbled and laid back on the very bed she rejected the wedding on only a few hours before. "I'm sorry, Isoko."

"Don't apologize to me," she demanded with arms folded. "It's Arashi's heart that you broke."

"I guess I can't move on…" Chihiro closed her eyes, wishing to doze off and forget about the rest of the day, but Isoko grabbed her friend's arms and pulled her to her feet.

"Are you still talking about river boy?" She demanded as she glared into the auburn eyes of her long-time companion. After a lack of response from Chihiro, she sighed deeply. "I'm not letting you ruin your chance at happiness for a boy you haven't seen in ten years. Arashi's perfect, and more importantly, he loves you and wants you as his wife. What's so wrong about that?"

Chihiro furrowed her eyebrows and pulled her arms free from the clutches of Isoko. "If he's so great, why don't you marry him?"

A glare of hatred swept over Isoko's face momentarily, but her expression softened after another sigh. "Because you are the one who loves him," she swept Chihiro's chestnut bangs from her eyes with careful fingers, "and he loves you just the same."

Like a frustrated child, Chihiro tugged greedily on the bottom of her lacy grey tank top, only to stomp her foot and turn away from her red-headed friend. "I need time."

"All the while Arashi's at home, thinking he did something wrong, eh? Go to him, Chihiro, you already know what you're doing," Isoko folded her arms over her thin chest in order to appear more authoritative.

Chihiro faced her again and admitted defeat. With a smile, Isoko grasped her hand and pulled her out of the bedroom to find Arashi.

* * *

The ring glimmered in the sunlight.

"It's beautiful, just like you," he grinned and pulled her hand closer to his face, kissing the ring gently.

A peaceful smile swept over her face. When their eyes met again, she leaned in and kissed his sweet lips carefully with her own. His hands reached for her waist, and he pulled her to his chest as their kiss lengthened. When she paused, he embraced her in a hug.

_For some reason, I can remember…_

"I want you to forget all of your bad memories," he grasped her hand and began walking the shore of the river with her closest to the water. "We're going to make happier ones," he promised and squeezed her hand gently. Her smile stayed as they watched each other's eyes, their feet stepping in sync.

_It's just the way things are._

"I love you, Arashi," the words escaped from her lips and her grip on his hand lightened. They stopped walking and he faced her, never releasing her hand as he intertwined their fingers, greeting her lips with another kiss that seemed to last forever.

"I love you, Chihiro," he whispered once he pulled away. His silvery eyes glittered in the setting sun, their surrounding world colored in a pinkish atmosphere.

The sweep of the river could be heard, acting as a lullaby to the sun's sleep. The world settled into a calm as the couple engaged in another round of sweet kisses. After awhile, he sat on the river's beach and pulled her next to him. They sat together, her head to his shoulder, and watched as the moon began to glitter upon the watery smoothness of the river. She closed her eyes.

_For some reason, I remember yours._

All she could see was a male hand reaching out in front of her, palm up, as if beckoning for her to grab it. She pondered for a moment, being afraid only momentarily. Then she grasped it carefully with her left hand, which was lacking a certain diamond ring. It pulled her up onto a stone ledge, and she could suddenly see her surroundings. It all seemed familiar, even the gentleness of the hand, but the recognition wouldn't come to her. She didn't care to look at who she was standing next to, nor did she try to understand why her hair was now in a ponytail and before her was a field of green, greeted by a shining sun. She felt peaceful and young, not taking notice of the smallness of her hands. She broke her gaze with the landscape, peering at her feet, which were adorned with yellow sneakers. Her legs were unreasonably thin in her pink shorts. A sudden panic swept over her, and she released the hand of whoever she was standing next to. Immediately there was a falling sensation as the world began fading into black. Quickly, within a split second, her eyes met a familiar sea green pair that she knew well. Before she had a chance to shout his name, the world was gone.

"Chihiro, wake up."

Her eyes darted open and she was immediately on her feet.

"Where did he…?!"

"I think you were having a nightmare," the brunette man pushed himself to stand next to her. He watched her carefully with his sharp silver eyes. "Are you alright?"

Her body relaxed and she nodded. He clutched her hips and pulled her into a soft embrace, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his chest.

"Let's go home, alright?" He pulled away and reached for her hand, which she unconsciously swiped away. She carefully peered at her left hand, which once more had a shiny ring clinging to it. Then she turned to face the river.

"Give me a minute," she mumbled under her breath and sighed.

"Right, right," he took a few steps back.

Suddenly, an unusually powerful gust of wind erupted from the benign environment and promptly swept her into the river. She quickly learned the depth of the water, as she slowly sunk to the bottom. Lacking of the ability to swim, she flailed her arms consistently, but her thick dress held her down.

The last thing she saw was the glowing silver pair of eyes that she loved dearly surrounded by the sweet caress of air bubbles attempting to escape to the surface.

_I promise I'll be back… You can't die._

* * *

_Author's Note: To anyone else reading my other stories, I know they're unfinished and I'm sorry. I've lost all inspiration for them. I'm not cancelling them, as I may pick back up where I left off one day, but again, I'm sorry. To anyone reading this story, have you noticed the phrases in italics are quotes from the movie? If not, I hope you've noticed now. Also, the meaning of the character's I've created names are valuable, so you can Google it if you'd like. That's about it, thanks for reading; look forward to the next chapter soon!_


	3. -Hello Again-

**Chapter Three  
**Hello Again

"Arashi!"

The name echoed to nowhere, but the desperation could clearly be heard in her voice.

She stared at her hands, the only two things she could really see in this pitch-black world. Too fearful to walk ahead into the nothingness, she clutched her shirt and squinted. Unable to see anything, she held her breath and took a step forward, only to end up feeling like she didn't move at all.

"Is anyone here?" Her voice cracked with the panic she was attempting to hide. Again, her words sounded lengthy in the darkness.

"Child, what trouble have you gotten into again?" A familiar old female voice rang into her ears.

"Who is that? Where are you?!" She called out into the blackness, and again her words simply echoed right back to her.

"My my, you've grown," a short figure of an oversized woman appeared before her. She adorned a royal blue dress and bright jewels, one holding her hair into a bun. Her face wrinkled terribly, but a kindness shone upon her brow.

"Zeniba?" She hesitated and stepped back, yet it did not decrease the distance between her and the old woman.

"You remember me?" A smile crept upon her chapped lips. "That does well for an old witch's heart." She chortled to herself, throwing her head back to momentarily engulf herself in a foreign happiness. Once her laugh finished, she peered deeply into the dark eyes of the tall girl. "A woman now," she sighed. "Yet too young to die."

"Die? Who's dying?" Her voice gave a sense of worried agitation, but she leaned forward to get closer to the tiny old woman.

"You're dying, Chihiro," a seriousness overcame the atmosphere as the woman continued her intense gaze.

"H-how? Why?" Panic conquered her and she stood straight, staring right back at the old lady, trying to search her gentle brown eyes for an answer.

"A wind spirit by the name of Kaisho shoved you into the river when you were with your fiancée; you nearly drowned and now you're in a coma, lying in a hospital someplace," Zeniba sighed, "and things aren't working out well for you."

Chihiro's mouth gaped open, as she was left speechlessly unable to form words.

The old witch closed her eyes. "Really, you shouldn't be in a coma. You should be dead."

"Then why aren't I?" She asked, tears threatening to form in her shaky eyes.

"We need you in the spirit world," Zeniba cleared her throat. "My twin sister, Yubaba, has been murdered by the very same wind spirit who tried to kill you."

"Why me?" Her voice quivered with frustration.

"Child, there's something inside you that you haven't yet noticed," the old witch chuckled. "But I know about it, and Kaisho knows about it. He wants to rule the spirit world with an iron fist, as he has somehow gained control of unbelievable voodoo magic that even I cannot overthrow. You're the only one who can stop him, so he tried to get rid of you. He doesn't know that you've got quite a few spirits and a witch on your side."

"What can I possibly do?"

"Come with me, child. There's so much you can do, now that you've come back as a spirit instead of a human as you did ten years ago. I've been keeping your body alive, and I'll continue to feed it life until you return to it. You may always go home to Arashi and Isoko. But, child, know this: If you cannot defeat Kaisho, he will steal the souls of humans until the spirit world becomes filled with his slaves." She reaches, holding her hand out, beckoning the grown woman to grab it.

"I can't do anything," worry drenched her voice. "I'm just one person."

"Yes, a magnificent person with powers unknown in this world. Chihiro, you were not born a normal human."

"What do you mean?"

"Are you going to wait around, or are you going to find out by taking action?" She stretched her hand further.

She carefully tucked some of her long chesnut hair behind her ear. Slowly, her hand reached out and grasped the wrinkly palm of the woman opposite her. And, in a flash, they'd left the black world.


	4. -Running into Nothing-

**Chapter Four  
**Running into Nothing

A piercing screech stung her eardrums as she became used to the brand new feelings. A gust soared through her hair, and she quivered in remembrance of the evil wind spirit. Her feet, somehow bare, scraped at the grass beneath her. Then, she opened her eyes.

She breathed in the bright green fields that felt so nostalgic. Boulders dotted the emerald hills, the blades of grass feeling shorter than she could remember. The air was fresh and sweet with memories. She turned quickly to peer at the river that she crossed once before to get into this world as a human. The place she left reeked of a lost love.

She looked around some more, only to find the ancient witch had left her side. She examined herself, taking note of her thin and plain white sundress. She grasped her chestnut hair, discovering it had been cut shortly above her shoulders. With a sigh, she began to trek up the hill.

Somehow, she wasn't expecting exactly what she saw. Part of her wished to see the same place she met ten years ago, and another part manipulated that world with the idea of a destroyed place created by the evil wind spirit. She saw neither. Instead, she only witnessed more rolling fields of green. As she stopped walking, the wind became stronger as if it were beckoning her forward. She squinted her eyes to try to see where she was being led, but all she noticed was an overly large slab of stone.

Time passed quickly as she stepped upon the soft grass, making her way to the mysterious rock. Somehow she knew it, yet she couldn't register exactly from where. Her bangs played playfully in the swoon of wind, her dress following along. She didn't think about anything else other than the boulder before her, quietly wondering where it was from and why she recognized it.

When she reached it, she circled it in search of something unusual. It seemed to pierce the sky, beaming into the sun, and she decided to climb it. Afraid of falling, she crawled the entire way, only losing her grip once. When she made it to the cliff-like top, she stood upon her bare feet and took a deep breath. She shielded her eyes and peered out into the distance, finding that her new height didn't give her any advantages. She spun around to descend the rock, yet too quickly, and her feet slipped out from underneath her. She landed on the stone and began sliding down in an unorganized fashion; she rolled onto her stomach and reached out towards the top of the stone, trying to grasp the rough terrain so to stop herself and not be hurt further.

Her fingers met the clinging of another's palm. She was immediately pulled onto her feet, and still being unstable, she fell into the chest of whoever her savior was. It was a warmth she had somehow felt before. She looked up, expecting to find her fiancée, but it was someone else entirely. His sea-green eyes were sharp as they locked onto her dark pair. Somehow, a soft feeling emanated from the look he gave her. She immediately shoved her face back into his chest.

What she felt was not happiness, but surprise. She realized this world far too much like the dream she had earlier. She was afraid, if she looked again, it would not be the same person; at the same time, she worried that it really was him. She wasn't prepared to face the one she hadn't seen for ten years.

"You haven't changed," a gently deep voice caressed her ears. Though the pitch had changed over those years, she immediately recognized it. A shiver struck her body, and she trembled lightly as he put his arms around her. She could feel his face move forward as his chin sat upon her shoulder. When his grasp of her tightened slightly, she relaxed her body and exhaled into his chest. He'd definitely gotten taller.

The air brushed against their embrace, becoming harsher with every passing moment. With a squeeze, he released her and glared off into the distance behind her, his fingers still clutching her arms. She glanced up at him, before turning and eliminating his hold on her. Her back facing him, she noticed what he was focusing on.

In an instant, he grabbed her wrist and leapt off the cliff of the rock, landing on his feet and catching her in his arms. He held her promptly, once again clutching her wrist and pulling him behind him as he ran. Neither of them said anything as his swiftness escalated. She noticed silvery scales appear on his face, quickly changing him into the water spirit she grew fond of. She threw herself upon him, and he pulled himself up and into the sky.

When she turned to inspect the thing chasing them, she saw him. The evil wind spirit conducted the black smoke surrounding him, his speed increasing dramatically. A thunderous noise bellowed from within the smoke, striking the ears of the woman and her water spirit. Her heart skipped in her chest as his fiery eyes met her fear-filled pair. A smile swept upon his lips and the smoke picked up speed. She turned from him and grasped the dragon harder.

"They're catching up," she whispered quietly. His ears flattened and their pace quickened. She looked back once more, only to find that the wind spirit and his black armada had disappeared.

The spirit slowed until he turned back into his humanistic form, wrapping his arms again around her as they quietly descended to the ground. They landed gently, and he looked back the way they came. There was no sign of the wind spirit, so he grabbed her hand and began leading her a completely new direction in the endless streams of grass. She took the calm time to notice the boy who'd grown into a man.

He'd definitely gotten taller than her, and she'd never be able to easily look into his eyes straight-on. His hair was no longer sharply cut, but grown ever so slightly into sloppy wisps. It held the same river-like color as it shifted precariously in the wind. His shoulders were wider and his hands were larger. His clothes hadn't changed at all, only growing in sizes to suit his body. She squeezed his hand slightly and swallowed hard.

"Weren't you destroyed?" She asked suddenly. He didn't react in any way and kept moving.

"They couldn't keep me from seeing you again," he finally answered. "The Earth formed a new river for me. The river you nearly drowned in…" his pace slowed until she was standing beside him. His face was contorted in some sort of sadness.

"You saved me, then," she grinned, "when I dropped the ring."

He looked over at her. She was glowing with a kind of happiness he wasn't expecting. His mouth gaped momentarily, before he swallowed and looked away. He tightened his fingers around her hand. "Yeah, but I couldn't save you when Kaisho pushed you in," he sighed deeply and closed his eyes. "I was tending to Fuuka, who'd gotten in trouble with a few of Kaisho's soldiers, and…" his voice trembled slightly, so it trailed off.

She held his hands with both of hers, glaring up at him intensely. "You've saved me so many times, I forgive you, Kohaku."

His body jerked at the mention of his name, quickly opening his sea green eyes to look into her honest pair. "You've grown, but you haven't changed," he repeated from much earlier. Her expression softened, and he resumed walking along.

She obediently followed him, feeling a sense of calm and recognition in this strange world.

"I missed you."


End file.
